Heidi Lester has been appointed Tasracing’s new Chief Racing Integrity Officer, working under a new integrity system to be rolled out on February 1.
Lester had been most recently Vice President (Racing) of Singapore Turf Club and has also worked in key racing and integrity roles Macau and Korea as well as in Australia.
Day-to-day integrity functions will come under Tasracing’s responsibility under a new framework brought into place by major legislative changes this year.
Overall integrity in the state will be governed by the Racing Integrity Commissioner, which assumes the responsibility currently held by the Office of Racing Integrity.
The Tasmanian government confirmed last week that experienced Victorian integrity official, Sean Carroll, will assume that newly created role next month.
Lester’s appointment will see her in charge of Tasracing’s integrity operations.
“She will work closely with the inaugural Tasmanian Racing Integrity Commissioner and the soon-to-be established Racing Integrity Committee to set best practice integrity and animal welfare standards for the state,” Tasracing CEO Andrew Jenkins said.
“Tasracing will become operationally responsible for all three codes of racing, including pre-race day and race day management, stewards, and animal welfare.
“We welcome this, and the reforms more broadly, that will provide the necessary oversight of racing welfare and integrity matters.”
Tasracing has been largely powerless in integrity matters under the current system, the flaws have which have been exposed by a string of crisis across all three codes.
ORI, which reported into the Department of Natural Resources, has been abolished, with independent oversight now resting with the Racing Integrity Commissioner, while Tasracing assumes all day-to-day integrity matters.
Bren O’Brien
Lester worked as a decade as a steward for Racing Victoria up until 2014 before working as chief stipendiary steward in Macau for two years. She returned to be chief steward for Greyhound Racing Victoria and then spent three and half years in Korea as a senior stipendiary steward with the KRA.
She also worked for Cricket Australia before heading to Singapore in a key role which oversaw the final days of racing in the city-state.
On Friday, Racing Minister Jane Howlett announced that international legal practitioner Regina Weiss would chair the newly formed Racing Integrity Committee.
“I’m really pleased that we have two high-quality appointments in international legal practitioner Regina Weiss, who will Chair the Committee, and leading racing and training authority Merv Hill,” she said.
“Ms Weiss’s track record speaks for itself, and as Chair of this Committee, she will be a driving force in holding the racing industry to the standard Tasmanians expect and deserve.”
"They will join with the appointments of Gene Phair and Neil Grose as the Tasracing Board nominated Committee members.”
